Portrait Of A Homeland Security State (Photos Show How Security Appartus Stokes Fantasies About War)

[Hissyspit]

http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/107800/theater_of_war%3A_portrait_of_a_homeland_security_state_%5Bphoto_slideshow_included%5D

Theater of War: Portrait of a Homeland Security State

By Lindsay Beyerstein, AlterNet. Posted November 22, 2008.

A new book by the award-winning photojournalist Nina Berman probes how the U.S. homeland security apparatus stokes fantasies about war.

Nina Berman is an award-winning documentary photographer with a keen interest in America's social and political landscape. Her first book, Purple Hearts: Back From Iraq, is a collection of portraits and interviews of wounded soldiers who have returned home. Her photograph of a severely disfigured Iraq veteran and his bride on their wedding day won the World Press Photo competition for portraiture in 2006.

Berman's new book, Homeland, depicts the evolution of the "American security state" from 2001 to 2007. Berman traveled around the country, photographing gun shows, SWAT team training, a public military academy for juvenile delinquents and endless drills and simulations designed to prepare Americans of all ages to respond to someone's idea of a terrorist attack. Berman began the project after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

"I started shortly after 9/11, (after I) started seeing things that struck me as odd -- examples of security -- and not knowing whether this was a rational response to a real threat or whether it was all theater."

Berman started shopping the book around in 2003, but soon realized it wasn't ready. Setting the project aside, she turned her attention to reporting on wounded soldiers. When she returned to her Homeland series, she had renewed energy. "One reason I thought it was important was because many of the soldiers I interviewed said they thought war was going to be fun," Berman explains. "This book is about how we visualize war."

A lot of "homeland security" requires us to imagine what a terrorist attack would be like. As we are continually reminded by authorities, we don't know what the terrorists might do next. So, how do you educate and train people to respond to a hypothetical threat? And to what extent do terror-readiness exercises provide a stage to act out our fantasies about war, rather than provide reality-based simulations of known threats?

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[Heidi]

1. Recommended.

:kick:

[RC]

2. Would someone please tell me in 1000 words or less how this keeps us safe?

[Frank Cannon]

3. I love the explanatory arrow on the right-hand side...

that shows me what order the alerts go in in terms of severity. I just never would have figured that out on my own. My thanks to Mayor Dwight W. Welch and the City Council of Country Club Hills for providing that important guide.

[Hissyspit]

6. Actually, I believe the arrow is pointing to the colored flag.

but if it confused you, it means it doesn't particularly work well.

[Frank Cannon]

8. Are you serious?

I swear that I thought that the arrow was showing how the scale worked. It didn't even dawn on me that it might be pointing to the stupid flag.

I think I need to get with Dwight and the City Council and see about a bond election for a new sign.

[Hissyspit]

10. It IS confusing.

Looking at it now, I think you are right. Well, how worthless is that?

[arcadian]

4. This is awesome.

I'm working on something similar.

http://cryptome.sabotage.org/nctc-photos/nctc-photos.htm

[yowzayowzayowza]

7. Your pics seem to be missing.?

[G_j]

5. K&R !

[JohnyCanuck]

9. "many of the soldiers I interviewed said they thought war was going to be fun"

Yeah those "shoot 'em up" video games are so much fun you would have thought going around and actually shooting at and blowing up real, live people (including the occasional kids or grandmas that accidentally get in the way) while the other side tries to shoot you and blow your own ass into tiny, tiny pieces would be even funner. Who would ever have thought war is hell?